The Vampire Diaries has been at the center of a lot of news this week. After Kat Graham announced her departure after next season and Ian Somerhalder surprised fans by saying that next season of the CW series would be its last, fans have buzzing about this series.

Julie Plec revealed in a recent interview that season nine would be discussed after work on season eight began in May. Now, Ian Somerhalder has turned to his Twitter to clear up his comments about the future of the series.

He said the following in a tweet he shared on Wednesday night:

“Hey all, so… Last weekend I talked to an audience at a Q&A about the end of #TVD and how excited I was to make what I believe – my last year – be as great as possible. Somehow in my infinite wisdom and end-of-season foggy brain, I managed to make it sound like the show was coming to an end. Cut-to the press running stories that the show would be done after Season 8. Thing is, the people who actually make that decision (the CW and WB) haven’t made it yet! So let’s take things one step at a time: Season 7 wrap, vacation, lots of sleep, let the writers get started on Season 8, and then we’ll all see where we go from there. Until then, much love.”

This leaves the door open for a ninth season, but Kat Graham is still set to leave at the end of next season. Her character’s death is connected to the return of Elena Gilbert, which has been set to end the series in previous interviews.

Are you a fan of The Vampire Diaries? Do you think a ninth season will happen? Tell us what you think.